Automatic car-coupling with air-operated release.



M. HIMBERGER. AUTOMATIC GAR COUPLING WITH AIR OPERATED RELEASE. APPLICATION FILED APILM, 1914.

1,108,577. Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

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THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTOJL/THQ, WASHINGTON. D, C

M. HIMBERGER. AUTOMATIC OAR COUPLING WITH AIR OPERATED RELEASE. APPLICATION FILED APR,24,1914. 1,1 0 ,577, Patented Aug". 25, 1914.

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M 15/557236) e7; wi/tmeooeo THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTO-LITHQ. W XSHINGTON. D, C:'

M. HIMBERGER.

AUTOMATIC GAR 000mm WITH AIR OPERATED RELEASE.

APPLICATION FILED APB-.24, 1914.

1 1 08,577. Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Qwuwwtoz Y'HE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTUYLI'I'HO. WASHINGTON, D. C.

M. HIMBERGER.

AUTOMATIC GAR COUPLING WITH AIR OPERATED RELEASE.

APPLICATION TILED APR.24..1914.'

1,108,577 Patented Aug.25,1914.

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wil'maoow THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTO-LITHO., WASHINGTON. D C

"UNITED STATES ra ian-T OFFICE.

AUTOMATIC CAR-COUPLING WI Specification of Letters Patent.

aIR-"DPERATED RELEASE.

Patented A11 25, 1914.

Application filed April 24, 1914. Serial No. 834,240.

TooZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, Mara l-lrarsnaonn, a

citizen or the United States, residing at l l oodward, in the eountyoif Dallas and tltate of liowa, have invented a new and use- :l'ul Automatic CanCoupler with AinOperated ltelease; and I do hereby declared the following to be a full, clear, and exact dcscription of the invention, such as will onable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

coupling devices for connecting the air mechanisms of individual cars.

The specific stli'ucture herewith illustrated is thought at present to he the best. The inventor, however, reserves the right to vary the design of this structure to suit requirenients, so long as variations are within frame of a car. The car body is omitted 1n the spirit of the subjoincd claims.

In. the drawings z-Figure l is a plan showing the invention attached to the under this figure. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal elevation. Fig. 3 is a front elevation. Fig. 4.- is a plan of two couplers connected. Part 01' this figure is shown in section for the pur pose of bringing out clearly the interior shape o1 the female coupling member. Fig. 5 is aview similar to Fig. 4:, showing the other couplers oi the mating cars. Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional. View of the coupler shanks taken just in front of the strengthening; sill 5. 7 is an enlarged elevation of that portion of the air pines containing the automatically operated valves. Fig. 8 is alonpgitudiual sectional view oi? the telescopical portions oi the air pipes. Fig. 9 is a detail view showing the cranks 4111 of the shanks 6 connected by the rodor bar 4L3, which is operated by the coupler release cylinder. Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view through the release cylinder. Fig. ll a detail view in section of the rear end oi.

one of the shanks showing one of the hollow l ig. 13 is an end elevation of the coupler release cylinder.

The car body 1 is provided. with the end sill 2 and the draft bar 3 and has intermediate strengthening S1llS 4L and 'lhe twincouphng; shanks (3 have hearings in the sills 52, i and 5 and at the forward. end. one is provided with the female coupler 7 while the other carries the male coupler 8.

The coupler 7 1s funnel-shaped with a rectangular opening 9 leading into a chainher 10 formed in the body. The male cou rider 8 has a skewed nose 11 oil. the shape shown. in l igs. 1., E2, 3 and l and this nose is at the end of a neck. 11.2 which emanates :l'rom liheineetinp; plate 12}. "louplcrs 7 and l-i ofthcir rospective shanks 6. Just back oi? these slmuldered portions, the cranks 15 are :liastcued to the shanks 6 by means oi? pins 16.

'llhese cranks are connected. togetherby the link '17 to opposite ends of which the chains l9 and Ill) are secured. chain 18 then con-- meets with the spring 20 which is attached to the angle plate 2i, this plate being held o are integral with the shouldered portions on the end sill El b r the en 3 screw 21. Chain bell-crank lever 29;, a handle 23 being m ruled at the tree end of this lever. A. hiiturcated piece (secured to the sill 2 by means ill) connects the link 17 with one end of the of its tang which is shaped like a wood screw) serves as a support for lever pin.

lever.

I the permitting a rocklng motion 011? said it will be seen that the object of this lover is lo permit cars to he uncoupled by A ation in case of tailurc oi? the we. The spring 20 is to keep a manual o automatic do all slack out of the chains 15% and 1S) and to i keep the handle 23 normally close to the car sill. -il. These springs 26 perform acushioning; .i'un *tion in the coupling operation and utter a resilient resistance to the turning oil? ill keep in p; l he lerinn holes 'lormed in the strengthening the shanks G, which turning is necessary when the couplings oi. RflJiLCGIlt cars engage.

At the rear end of shanks (3 keys 28 are pro vided and the shanks have a .bearlng at t is point In. ad] 5, bearings 25-) being proi 'lcled fortho purpose. These hearings are recessed a quarter ot their internal circuindiametrically opposite openings ill. They receive the heads 32 of the bolts 33, which project through holes in the end of the caps.

Bolts 33 are secured to the opposite ends of leaf spring by nuts 35 and this leaf spring has penetrating its center the draft rod 36 to which it is secured by the nut Rod enters a recess in the draft bar 38 wherein it is held by the cap screw which passes through its eye 4-0.

The cranks a l connected rigidly to the shanks (S by means of the pins 4-2 are joined together by the connecting rod all. The piston rod et-t connects with rod 4-3 at its forked end l5 by means of the pin as and entering the cylinder connects with the piston $7, the shoulder 48 and nut t9 acting the fastening means. The piston has a check valve 50 which seats in the taper hole 51, the stem 52 of this valve connecting with the cross piece 53 to keep the valve from falling out. The object of this valve will be disclosed later.

The cylinder is composed of the outer casing 5 and the end cap 55 which is screwed into the outer casing. An air inletiiti is provided at the rear of the casing and the extreme rea' end is formed into the bifurcated piece 57 by which it is fastened to the projection 58 by means of the pin 59.

Channel iron 60 of which is an integral part supports the release cylinder on the under framing of the car and is secured to the sills at and by the cup-screws 61.

As the principal object of this invention would be defeated if it did not contemplate the automatic coupling of the air mechanism a device for accomplishing this result is included in the design.

Twin pipes 62 with globular heads (53 and collars 6% pass through the end sill 2 and connect to Ts 65. These globular heads have circularopenings 66*. Parallel to 62 are pipes 66 which terminate at their front ends in the funnel-shaped mouth 67 and at their rear ends in the elbows 6S. Pipes 66 are held rigidly in end sill 2 but pipes 62 are capable of a sliding movement therein. Flexible tubing 69 connects the elbows 69 with Ts G5. Pipes 7O join Ts with the valve 71 and the three way valve 72, and pipes 73 connect these valves with the telescopic elbows 7 f. From one elbow 74, pipe 75 enters an elbow 76 from which a pipe 77 runs to equivalent mechanism at the other end of the car. From the other elbow 74, a pipe 78 communicates by means of the T 7 9, the nipple 80, the elbow 81 and the nipple 82 with the triple valve 83 and through this triple valve with the auxiliary reservoir S-l. Pipe 85 runs to the other end of the car but connects with the T 79 through the elbow 86 and nipple 87.

Auxiliary reservoir and triple valve 83 are merely shown here as properly belongthe cars mechanism but as they 1 no part of the present invention their specific construction will not be entered into.

To the sill 5 a pipe 88 is fastened by straps 8 this pipe connects with the ree-way e 72 by the flexible tube 90. ine angle vs 91 is joined to the pipe 88 and admits air to the release cylinder 1 9h the tleiiible nipple 92. A handle 93 for rue manual operation of the valve projects through the innel iron 60.

On the stems valves 71 and 72 are disks l-jtprovided with pins 93 which receive the li 6 and at the middle of this link anon link 97' is joined. Link 97 connects vv th the bifur .ed piece which is fastened to the sill o by the nut 99.

Pipes 73 are provided with collars 100 which abut the sill 5 and these pipes with all the equipment between them and the pipes 62 and including 62 form a rigid de vice capable of sliding in the sills by which they are supported. movement of the whole forward and a move ment backward provided by the resilience of the springs 101 and the sliding of the pipes in the telescopic elbows 74.

The plan of a double coupling as here shown is at first sight paradoxial, but when it is remembered that the actual coupling operation is between a male and female member, the necessity of one of each kind to a car is apparent if cars are to be indiscriminately coupled. i v

/Vhen the couplings on adjacent cars engage, the noses 11 of the male members 8 worm themselves through the openings 9 of the female members into the chambers 10. In order to do this it is necessary that the shanks 6' turn a quarter of a revolution and they do so against the torsion of the springs 26. When the noses 11 are completely in the chambers 10 the springs 26 return the shanks to their normal position.

As th shanks 6 are rocked, the piston 47 is pulled out by the cranks l2 and this would act as a damper on the turning of the shanks were it not for the peculiar construction of the release cylinder. lhe cap being provided with openings allows the piston to exclude the air in front of it and the check valve 50 prevents the formation of a partial vacuum behind it. The piston thus is permitted a free movement while the couplings are engaging and when they are ready to re sume their normal position it acts as a cushion to the sudden action of the springs 26.

With the air couplings female members engage opposing male members, the resilient male member yielding to the pressure of the val val Collars 100 limit the cylinder attached. to the car rigid female member. This movement of the male ineniher results 111 the opennig oi: the valves 71 and T2, 71. admitting an: to the hrahing system and 72 (being a three-way valve) admitting ai to the iiipe and opening the Way for its transmission to other cars,

71 V hen air is present in the pipe 88- the opening oi. the valve 91 by the handle 93 admits it to the cylinder The air then heine; behind the piston keeps the check valve no closed and forces the piston out, thus rocking the cranks 4:1 and turning the shanks (3 a gran-tor oi a revelation when the couplings may he disengaged.

The invention having been setter-11h, What is chihned as new and useful is 11.. in an automatic ear coupling twin shanks attached to the nnder training a car, a iieniale COllpilllg member on the iree end of one shank a male eoupl 1g nieniher on the free end of th other shank, keys at the rear-ends of said shanks which .iljlit' t l'xeir rotation to one quarter oi a revolution, springs for holding said shanks with their aim-ardent eonphngs in their normal positions, cranks on said shanks, a swinging air body a piston in the cyiinder, a rod connecting the piston and the cranks by which the piston may rotate the shanks through one q mrter of a revolution.

in an anton'latic ear coupling, twin coupler shanks mounted in the under train ing oi a car, a female coupling member on ,5

the free end of one shank, a male coupling nieinher on the free end of the other shank, means at the rear end 01 said shanks for limiting their rotation to one cniarter o1.- a revohition, resilient means for holding said shanks with their attending couplings in their normal POSitiOiiS, cranks on said shanks, a rod connecting said cranks whereby they inlay he partially rocked synchroiro or-11y pivotaliy mounted pne'lnnatie means having eonnections with said lOtifEQ!) a1doniaiically actuating the same, and spring tensioned means having ominfections with said shanks and including a iever for 1nannaiiy rotati og said shanhs partiaily.

in testimony whereoiti have signed my name to this specification. in the presence of tire subscribing Witnesses.

Witnesses HERMAN i 'isnnn, Jon n G'ZEI'GIJIOISUQ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I G. 

